Anatomy, History, And Scientific Investigation Surrounding The Giant Squid
Introduction
Imagine a beast so large that it was rumored to rip full ships in two, leaving sailors to drown in the depths of the ocean.
- This was a common myth that was told throughout much of the late 18th and early 19th century.
- However, for about 150 years now it has been known scientifically that the giant squid does in fact exist.
Giant squids are the largest mollusk, invertebrate, and cephalopod in the ocean. This magnificent creature has a fascinating anatomy, history, and scientific investigation surrounding it.
The giant squids anatomy is part of what makes this creature such a fearsome predator. This creature’s eyes are very large. They are the size of dinner plates, and are so large that it is believe that they are larger than any other animal. Because of their size, it can see light in deeps part of the ocean and it can also spot bioluminescent light. The beak which is located at its base is detrimental for its feeding. This beak is very sharp and used for tearing and devouring prey. Scientists also use this to estimate the size of dead or disfigured squids.
This animal is also equipped with 2 feeding tentacles. These tentacles are different from its eight arms has they are substantially larger. They are used for capturing it prey from far distances.
The history behind the giant squid is long and often crosses the line into myth. The giant squids first came into existence from lore sailors used to tell in the early 19th century.
The first official sighting occurred in 1848 when the captain of the HMS Daedalus, Peter M’Quhae told the newspaper he had seen a giant sea serpent. In 1857 Japetus Steenstrup attempted to find scientific evidence of this animal by using its enormous beak has proof. In 2005 a group of marine biologist caught the first photos of a giant squid in its natural habitat. Marine biologist Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori are credited with taking these photos. The same year the first video footage was taken by the National Science museum of Japan.
Scientific discoveries have helped researchers understand the elusive life of the giant squid. Scientists discovered that giant squids participate in food piracy. Marine ecologist Angel Guerra discover that squids may attack each other in order to steal food. He discovered this information from a dead squid that washed up on a Spanish beach with extreme injuries. This is an important discovery that helps scientist understand how the giant squids hunt and relate to others of their kind.
Another scientist discovered how to determine the size of a dead or disfigured squid. Dr. Paxton uses the extrapolation of squid beaks to determine the size of dead or dismembered squids. This is helpful because the most of giant squids are found torn apart in the stomach of sperm whales or washed up on shore. When dead squids wash up on shore there are often bloated and their tissue is unnaturally elastic causing its size to be overestimated. Dr. Paxton found that the largest squid discover was 46 feet long, however he estimates that they reach lengths of up to 88 feet. V. Conclusion Giant squids are massive and very elusive creatures. They have a strange anatomy, complicated history, and have a lot to be discovered by scientist. Giant squids prove that we have so much more to learn about the world, especially the oceans.
Feltman, Rachel “Giant Squid Makes a Rare Appearance in Japan” article describes a giant squid that was spotted in Japan. This large specimen was thought to be approximately 12 feet long and was very young, it was expected that it would grow 3 times that size as it matured. One of the most likely places to spot a giant squid is in the oceans surrounding Japan, in fact the first actual video of a giant squid occurred in Japanese waters in 2012. Spotting a giant squid alone is a hard task, as they are extremely elusive. They often wash up dead upon the shore, causing them to be bloated and often disfigured. This makes it difficult for scientist to discover their true size. Seeing an actual living giant squid is an even rarer occurrence and has only happened a handful of times. Ultimately, sightings of the giant squid are an extremely rare occurrence, however, they are often seen around Japan’s waters.
This source is credible because it is from the Washington Post which is a generally reliable source of news. The article is accompanied by a video which shows the actual footage of the squid. The author Rachel Feltman is an editor at Popular Science Magazine which makes her relatively qualified to write the article since it discusses the species in detail and also describes the sighting in a scientific manner. This is a good source to use for the speech because it covers many important facts about the squid. The article mainly describes the sighting in Japan and explains that Japan is a common place for squid sightings. This is useful for describing their rarity and habitat. Feldman also compares the young squid in the article to a fully mature squid which could reach lengths up to 40 feet. She specifies that although dead squids may seem larger when they wash on shore, it's only due to water bloating their bodies. This will be useful when describing their true size. The source also provides a video showing the sighting of a young giant squid in Japan which will make it easier to describe in detail.
“Giant Squid, Architeuthis Dux” article describes science behind giant squids including specific information about their anatomy, feeding behavior and habitat. Their large eyes the size of dinner plates are capable of detecting light and bioluminescent light in extremely dark places and their beaks that resembles a parrot’s are used for tearing its prey. Although the squid has 8 arms it has 2 longer tentacles used for feeding. Similar to other squids and octopuses the giants squid is capable of using its dark ink to deter predators. The source states that giant squids are the largest cephalopods, mollusks, and invertebrates to ever exist. Scientists are extremely interested in the brain of this species because it is so large. The article then describes the squids feeding behavior, which includes its using its large feeding tentacles to capture its prey. Although it is rare to ever actually see one of these creatures they reside in most places of the north Atlantic.
This article is filled with scientific facts and research. It even offers additional sources and references to aid the reader with further research. The article is part of the MarineBio conservation Society which is a nonprofit organization aimed and protecting and educating people about the ocean and its marine life. This source is perfect for describing the giant squids many different features. It includes plenty of information concerning its anatomy which helps paint a mental picture of the true size of this fearsome creature. It specifically includes information about the creatures large eyes, beak, and tentacles. The source also explains that the species is the largest mollusk, invertebrate, and cephalopod known to man which will help depict its sheer size. It describes its feeding patterns and how its uses its feeding tentacle to capture prey which is detrimental to understanding how the animal survives. The source remains scientific and only states facts which is useful when honestly describing the giant squid.
Preston, Elizabeth “The Bloody Pirate Life of One of the Ocean's Most Elusive Creatures” covers important information from a nearly dead squid. It died very soon after it was discovered on a Spanish beach. Marine ecologist Angel Guerra did research over the dead animal and discovered some fascinating clues into the creatures life and relationship with its fellow giant squids. The squid was injured in a way that suggested that it had been in a battle with another giant squid. Guerra believe that the cause of the two squids fight was food piracy. He believed that the larger squid murdered the smaller squid in effort to steal its food. This would mean that the larger squid could avoid hunting for its own food and avoid having to go into shallower parts of the ocean where it might be attacked by a predator. This is important research for understanding how the giant squid thinks, hunts, and relates to its fellow deep sea creatures. This source is credible because the article originates from The Atlantic which is a fairly credible magazine. The source uses information from multiple researchers including Heather Judkins and Angel Guerr Guerra is a part of the Spanish National Research council and has done some research over the giant squid prior to his investigation. The author of the article Elizabeth Preston also wrote for Discover Magazine which makes her a credible author.
This source would be useful for describing the giant squid and how it relates to others of its kind. It is also a very good source to use because it emphasizes how little is actually known about the giant squid. The theory of it participating in food piracy is new and a very interesting discovery that may be able to help scientist in the future. It's interesting that the researchers had to infer so much about the giant squid to understand what happened, particularly how it used its information about other species of squid to conclude that it was a fellow giant squid that murdered its own species. This will be a good source because it emphasizes how much there still is to discover about this creature.
Switek Brian “The Giant Squid: Dragon of the Deep” discusses the history and mythology surround the giant squid. The author discusses the first sighting on the giant squid which happened approximately 150 years ago. Up until that point the creature was nothing but a myth that sailors liked to tell. The source also covers Japetus Steenstrup and his first scientific finding concerning this creature in the mid 1900’s. Steenstrup was a zoologist and used the beak of giant squid the begin his research. His goal was to prove that the giant squid existed and was not just myth. The source continues telling the history of the creature until 2005 when the first video footage of a live giant squid in its natural habitat was captured by marine biologists Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori. The article is very specific about the history and mythology concerning the giant squid and goes in too deep description about its first sightings and scientific discoveries.
This source is credible because it came from the Smithsonian Website which is a part of a credible institution dedicated to sharing information and research. At the end of the article there are multiple other sources provided to help aid the reader with further research. The author Brian Switek specializes in articles about evolution, paleontology, and natural history. This is a good source to use because it covers the history and mythology of the giant squid. It is important information because the creature was for a long time perceived as a monster in which terrified sailors. This is perfect for describing the elusive and fearsome qualities of this creature. It's also a good source because its explains its rarity very well, for example the source makes it clear that one of the only videos ever caught of the live giant squid in its natural habitat was in 2004. This creature is very difficult to find and that is proven by the very few times it had been spotted alive.
Walker Matt “Earth - The 27-Metre-Long Giant Sea Monster” describes the steps that Dr Chris Paxton took to discover the true possible lengths a giant squid can grow. The majority of giant squids are found washed up dead upon the shores. Dr Paxton believes that when this happens the creatures body becomes bloated with water which can make its size and length seem larger than it really is. When this happens the tissue can also become unnaturally elastic causing it to stretch out. Paxton used the squid's beak to ultimately determine the length they can grow realistically. He estimates through extrapolation that the largest squid found was approximately 14 meters long, however he believes that these animals could reach lengths up to 27 meters longs. Sperm whale often attempt to hunt these giant squids, however Paxton predicts that some of these are too large for the large whales to catch. Ultimately this article gives the scientific method that Dr Paxton use to predict the true sizes of giant squid. This source is credible because it is an article from BBC Earth which specializes in animals and other parts of the earth and ecosystem. The article was published is 2016 so it is still pretty recent and has accurate information. The author Matt Walker is also an editor for BBC Earth, he uses information from Dr Paxton, the Journal of Zoology, and Darren Naish.
This source is useful for debunking common myths about the giant squid. It gives factual and scientific evidence about the true size of this very large animal and describes the scientific process that is used to discover true facts about it. Although it is huge, the scientific evidence that Dr Paxton finds leads him to believe that the giant squid does not reach lengths much larger than that of the sperm whale. The article also mentions that giant squids are often devoured by these sperm whale. This will be useful when discussing the giant squids predators and explaining their true size.
